Grunfeld has to go Now and Other Musings
by Poname84 on Jan 24, 2012 10:58 PM EST
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A key component of organizational success is culture. In fact, I think it is "the" key component.
Culture starts at the top. The person in charge sets the tone and from there, it trickles down to the lowest employee on the totem pole.
Ted Leonsis is a smart and successful business man. He's also fairly transparent, a trait I respect. I was very happy and hopeful knowing that he is in charge of our beloved basketball franchise. But my view of him has taken some some serious dents since he took over.
Quite simply, Ted has failed to institute even the slightest amount of positive change in culture during his brief time as head man in charge.
Firing Flip is a good move but one that is 1 1/2 seasons and John Wall's wasted development too late. A cursory look into Saunders' pitfalls with the Pistons and Timberwolves by Leonsis should've resulted in his immediate dismissal before last season. Saunders is a good coach, when he has the players on his team already have the right mindset; he is not the man to instill that mindset.
No doubt Saunders deserved to be fired, but he is the scapegoat for his boss.
I'm usually not one for hyperbole, but I find it appalling that Grunfeld is still with the 'Zards. Since his hiring in 2004, he has allowed a toxic, bad behavior enabling culture to flourish. He gave an unpredictable malcontent, coming off of meniscus surgery 100 million dollars, just one of his many franchise crippling decisions. He then brought in his hand picked coach, Saunders, to get the team over the hump. Instead, he brought Flip into fail. Saunders had absolutely no chance to straighten out the culture that Grunfeld enabled.
Which brings us to Ted. If he truly wants to institute a culture change, he needs to clean house now. It should have started with Grunfeld. Instead, it commenced in embarrassing fashion with a less significant piece of the puzzle, a fall guy. There is no justifiable reason for him to stay around till the end of this season. Ideally, Leonsis has been looking into replacements for Grunfeld. He needs to get his man in here as soon as he is identified. Then Leonsis should move out of the way and let his new GM pick his coach. Whitman may be a tough guy, but his career record screams more disappointment. This organization cannot waste another second stunting the development of a potential franchise cornerstone and the rest of its viable talent.
Lastly, one decision, or lack thereof sticks with me the most during Grunfeld's tenure: Not trading Andray Blatche during the summer of 2010, when his stock was as high as it would ever get. Instead, Grunfeld, decided to give him a 5-year contract. Dray then promptly hurt his foot and came into the season out-of-shape. That should tell you all you need to know.
This time, Grunfeld should not be around to clean up his own mess. Each day that he stays on in his current capacity, my confidence in Leonsis' ability to successful right this ship declines.
Get it done Ted.
This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.
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i've been on the fence about this for a while
mostly b/c ernie had earned up so much credit with me for the first arenas signing, the jamison and caron trades, and letting hughes and jeffries walk. all great moves, imo. plus mostly all his draft picks are defensible.
however, i feel like in firing flip today, ernie metaphorically fired himself.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jan 25, 2012 1:37 AM EST reply actions
"mostly all of his draft picks are defensible"
I’m not sure how you can say that. Let’s just focus on Ted’s new strategy of rebuilding through the draft (and ignore EG’s other busts). With that mandate, I believe the subject matter expert (EG) should have figured out:
1) the Wiz needed a banger at the 4 who could rebound and defend
2) the Wiz needed a shooter at the 3
3) with a core of young players already on the roster, 3 new draft picks weren’t going to help that much.
4) the draft was notoriously weak, and there were only two players that could have helped the Wiz.
5) given his 40% shooting from the foul line, it was a pretty good bet that Vesely couldn’t shoot from the outside.
6), given the above, the wiz should have traded up and tried to get Williams or Kanter as a fallback.
This is not 20/20% hindsight. I said it before the draft, along with many other people.
As it turns out , Singleton and Mack could be good role players in the NBA. But that wasn’t the imperative in the draft. There is no way that 7 or 8 guys are going to be developed simultaneously.
Vesely is barely seeing the floor for a garbage team while so much of this rookie class flourishes.
Bismack Biyombo is currently scoring more than Vesely (granted, just 2pts vs 3pts)….but I mean, come on Ernie, this is the guy you apparently scouted for 2 years? Flip couldnt find a way to get him meaningful minutes on a 2 win team? Oh but wait! Just give it 3-4yrs and he’ll be a star.
Good-bye, Ernest!
No that's not what Ernie said
“In a few years we might be pretty good.” he can’t even pretend to guarantee that all these guys will pan out
so i'm suggesting that ernie should be fired
and you nitpick my post with very debatable points (the verdict is already in on vesely apparently) arguing that ernie should be fired. alright then.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jan 25, 2012 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
when does the verdict get to be in on Vesely and Seraphin?
3yrs from now, with 2yrs left on Ernie’s new deal? Sorry but the season those to players have absolutely has to count one way or another on Flip’s resume when Ted is making the decision. That doesnt mean they have to be fully developed players, but of they look like duds it has to be taken into consideration
In thinking about this overnight, I had a lot of the same thoughts
The problems start at the top. Ted came in with what he stated was a vision for the organization – getting rid of the veterans, being bad for a few years, adding youth and developing them. Nothing wrong with that vision if you have the stomach to handle the losing, and so far Ted seems to be able to stomach the losing.
BUT, once you choose that as your vision, you need to put people who excel at executing that vision. What did Ted do instead? Kept Ernie and Flip, neither of whom has had any success in the past executing that sort of vision. Why not go out and get the GM that is the best in identifying young talent? Why not hire the coach that is the best at developing young talent?
More and more, I’m afraid that the answer is money. Doing the above would have required eating Ernie’s and Flip’s contracts. But Ted is all about the dollar, so Ted has made do with what he’s got, and it shows.
Ernie is just as bad. The owner tells you he wants to shift to a youth movement, clear out the cap, get promising young players and develop them. The conversation Ernie SHOULD have had with Ted then is, “OK, here is what I will need — a new coach. Coach X is terrific with developing young talent. If that’s what we want to do, he’s the best at it. Plus, he likes to play a style that fits perfectly with the types of players I like. We’ll also need a new staff, a beefed up training and scouting staff, a couple of player development guys, etc.” But instead, Ernie apparently just said, “Yes, sir. Flip and I can do that.” (To be fair, perhaps Ernie had that conversation with Ted but Ted said no. I’m guessing he didn’t, however.)
Ted and Ernie stumbled again yesterday. After firing Flip, they could have brought in a new coach who is terrific at player development and coaching a style that fits the current players. But they instead just said, “Hey, you — slide down a chair. Congrats.” Why? Again, perhaps money? To be fair, perhaps they have that someone in mind for season’s end. But I have no hope of that. Nothing I’ve seen suggests that these guys think that way.
I think something that gets lost in NBA Fan analysis is that ownership came in new but they inherit monetary situations.
With Saunders you take the flyer but with money on the books you don’t tend to want to sink more money into an investment to compound your costs. Ted already bought the team, can’t fault him for wanting to kick the tires on his current set up to see if he had to dump more money. As it stands, he now has 18 million dollars flushed down the toilet with Saunders. It’s business AND sports.
Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad.
Right, but that's a cost of doing business
If new management comes into any business and wants to change direction, there are costs associated with that — letting people go and paying severance, buying new equipment, paying for new marketing plans, etc.
Too true, but if you're an intelligent investor are you going to buy at an already high cost...
Then turn around and start burning down the inside or are you going to take a look at the current major investments and see if they can be salvaged? Firesale is cool from a fan’s point of view but we don’t foot the bills.
Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad.
it's amazing Flip is the only one gone and his SON stays on.
Makes you wonder how the firing went down….Ernie and Flip making offseason vacation plans as Flip heads out the door, a huge smile on his face?
I dont know….just seems really strange scenario
the alternative explanation to everything you've come up with
is that the players simply aren’t that good. reference tyrus thomas and eddy curry. it’s hard to make an argument that chicago does not have a culture of excellence over the last 25 years.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jan 25, 2012 12:13 PM EST up reply actions
It's also great to sit back 100 yards away and say that this should be done
or that should be done….
EASY to say that Ted should have fired Ernie – and hired the GM that is the “best in identifying young talent”
And that the new GM should hire a Coach who is “terrific at player development and coaching a style that fits the current players”
Those are two terrific points… Great insight… Wonderful, spot on and germane to the conversation… There’s only one problem…. You neglected to provide a solution. You pointed out what SHOULD occur, but never actually came through with a suggestion for HOW OR WHO to hire…. Who is the best at identifying young talent? Which coach is best at development?
Maybe Ted looked at all that… and decided there wasn’t anyone out there better than what he’s already got…. I certainly cannot think of a GREAT COACH that would be the “best” at developing young talent….that already doesn’t have a job…!!!
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
by Rook6980 on Jan 26, 2012 7:31 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
So according to you EG should have been able to predict Blatche's broken foot and corresponding decline in work ethic
and refuse to extend a player who had been averaging 20/10 as a starter with season highs of 36/15.
He also should have done everything in his power to trade up in last years draft, a trade which more than likely would have included JaVale McGee AND our first round pick.
There are plenty of things to criticize Ernie about, but extending Andray and not paying the high price the Jazz and T-Wolves put on their first round picks isn’t one of them.
also, how do you not offer the guy who was the 3rd best player in the league at the time a max deal?
the guy who made the franchise relevant for something other than losing for the first time in 30 years?
by Alpha_Snail on Jan 25, 2012 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
Arenas was not the 3rd best player
Come on, I know we all can get carried away here some times and inflate our players value, but all Arenas could do was score. He was not a complete player and on top of that was selfish and chief among the purveyors of the ’Zards toxic atmosphere. You do not give a guy coming off one of the worst injuries (meniscus) for a bball player a near max deal.
LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Duncan, Gasol, Howard, Garnett, Pierce
All better and more worthy of his contract. I’m sure there are more too.
Statistically im not sure if that argument stands.
06-07, Gilbert’s last full season, Wade was hurt, Gasol was on the Grizzlies, Garnett hadn’t left Minnesota.
That leaves Lebron, Kobe, Duncan, and Howard. I’d put Arena’s year (3rd in scoring/5th in steals/6th in PER/All-NBA 2nd team) above Most of those guys.
by Alpha_Snail on Jan 25, 2012 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with you.
If you look back at that year, Gil was being compared to Dwyane Wade like they were equals. The 1st half of the season, he was in the MVP discussion. I’d say he was around a top 5 or 6 player in the league at that point in time. You can’t just let someone like that walk away in free agency.
"Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" - Jan Vesely
by PhenomenalSwag on Jan 25, 2012 3:36 PM EST up reply actions
How many points??
Yeah, but how many points could Gil score? 28 or 29 over the course of a season? He
was an elite player and he got assists and rebounds too, don’t forget. Gil in his heyest of days was a force of nature with his ability and confidence scoring the ball. Perhaps the worst thing that happened to him was when they tore down his poster from Verizon Center, i.e. when he no longer was the face of this-or any franchise. He no longer had a role to play.
Blatche still had 2yrs left on his deal right?
No reason he couldnt have waited and seen him continue that good play before talking extension, especially considering Dray loves DC and wanted to stay
3 after this yr......
Who won? Who lost? Who cares?! The NBA is Back! - David Aldridge
What seems to be the officer, problem? - Randy Marsh
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jan 25, 2012 6:48 PM EST up reply actions
Grunfeld Had Years
To evaluate Blatche’s work ethic and character, neither of which have changed since he’s been in the league. Both of those traits were always lacking in Dray and have been known for years.
Grunfeld is absolutely to blame here. Blatche has always been “fools gold”.
didn't we all think blatche had turned the corner at the end of the 2010 season?
there was no reason to think that he’d eat his way out of shape, he had always been a skinny dude.
by Alpha_Snail on Jan 25, 2012 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
A lot of people were very pleased when Grunfeld signed him to that extension
Not trying to be obnoxious, but the post on that resigning is below. Feel free to read your old comments and (a) pat yourself on the back, or (b) hang you head in shame.
Nothing wrong with the extension at that time, but...
….it needed to recognize Dray’s persona and build in incentives and protections into the contract, and supplement the contract with personalized training and development (both on and off the court). The contract represents a huge investment. The cost of the extra stuff to make it worthwhile is small. This team doesn’t address the player’s issues.
I can't help but look at Denver and be envious
They went outside the usual conveyor belt of candidates to hire Masai Ujiri. All he’s done is navigate through challenge after challenge to present their fan-base with an exciting, competitive team.
Now I’m not saying there were correlations between our two rosters. Melo was a viable superstar at the time of his trade; Arenas wasn’t. They had a competent young big in Nene; we had Blatche. But Ujiri saw the forest through the trees and was able to reload their roster.
I guess my point is GMs can work wonders in 2 years or less. Our GM has barely pick his nose in that amount of time.
by jvflail on Jan 25, 2012 12:15 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Remember they also have Wilson Chandler and JR Smith as restricted agents
KMart I believe is un restricted
Who won? Who lost? Who cares?! The NBA is Back! - David Aldridge
What seems to be the officer, problem? - Randy Marsh
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jan 25, 2012 6:49 PM EST up reply actions
Denver is just a firstclass organization on all levels
No superstar drama is going to crush thát franchise. The Wizards however….
Who won? Who lost? Who cares?! The NBA is Back! - David Aldridge
What seems to be the officer, problem? - Randy Marsh
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jan 25, 2012 6:50 PM EST up reply actions
Clean slate time
read a good post over at TAI: judging by Ted’s latest comments and what is pretty obvious when looking at the team, the following things need to happen:
1) EG is out. He had his shot and blew it. Going the “athletically gifted but skill deficinent” route doesn’t make a good basketball team. Looking back I really wish he made an aggresive move to get Williams or Kanter in the draft. Not to knock Vesely, I do like the guy, but the Wizards really could not afford to draft basically an energy guy who does the “little things” with their top pick.
2) Buy out or amensty or trade or release Lewis, Blatche, and/or Young. Get those bums out of here. Lewis clearly never wanted to be here. Blatche is the poster boy for this terrible team. And Young is gonna walk and “try” and get paid next summer anyway.
3) The new GM or maybe EG needs to have a HARD and HONEST look at JaVale and see what they want to do with him. Centers are rare in this league, especially centers that can run and jump like JaVale can. Athletically he’s the closet thing in the league to Dwight Howard. His 11 pts, 9 boards, and 3 blocks are decent averages. I really hope he can turn the corner with the coaching change and starts to play smart consistently. However if he doesn’t the FO has to recognize that he is, besides Wall, our only asset really worth anything and trading him may be the best option for us.
4) Ted needs to open is wallet a bit and be aggressive to make this team respectable again.
by Ron Carlos Jeines on Jan 25, 2012 12:45 PM EST reply actions
Well said. I agree entirely.
You know what stands out to me, with Nick Young, if you ever see him drive into the lane, the kid has not confidence at all. He either falls down looking for the foul, or makes a sucker move the rim. I think that Nick would be a good reserve player on a better team. I doubt that he will be a starter in his future. I can easily see him being molded into a much better player outside of Washington.
Blatch/Lewis absolutely must go. Especially Blatches fat ass.
Never thought I'd say this...
Man, I never imagined I’d say this but, I think the Wizards would be best served by suffering through this terrible season and getting the best chance to get the number one
pick! I don’t see how blowing up the rebuild can be a successful strategy. It reeks of desperation. I’m not so sure about Grunfeld or Whittman, but I think some of the players
on the roster now are gonna survive the rebuild. I don’t know if you can send them all packing! They need to get the number one pick.
Wiz need a new GM
Who could build a playoff nba team without any legitimate scoring threats ? I dont know maybe Ernie. It is unfortunate that whenever the Wiz get a # 1 pick in he draft theres no high impact players there !Not that i dont like Wall because i do.
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